For the past several decades, arthrodesis (i.e., spinal fusion surgery) has been the gold standard surgical option for many degenerative disc diseases (DDD) of both cervical and lumbar spine. Numerous reports have demonstrated satisfactory outcomes of spinal fusion surgery. Therefore, arthrodesis has become the mainstay strategy of surgical management for DDD. However, some reports have addressed the long-term adverse effects of spinal fusion, including adjacent segment disease (ASD), loss of physiological range of motion, and junctional kyphosis.

In the last decade, there have emerged several spinal motion preservation surgery options. The idea is to avoid arthrodesis of vertebral segments, thus allowing maintenance of physiological motion of the spine. These innovative surgical approaches included arthroplasty (artificial disc replacement), laminoplasty, pedicle based dynamic stabilization, and interspinous devices. Many of these new technologies have been tested by multicenter, prospective, randomized, and controlled clinical trials. The short- to midterm results of spinal motion preservation surgery are comparable to the standard spinal fusion surgery and simultaneously preserve spinal mobility. However, whether these new technologies can actually minimize the risk of ASD is still elusive. Also, more studies are necessary to investigate the best candidates for, complications of, and long-term outcomes of spinal motion preservation surgery.

We therefore invite investigators to contribute original research and review articles that are likely to stimulate continuing efforts to expand the utilization of spinal motion preservation surgery or that address the avoidance of any associated complications.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• The history of invention of spinal motion preservation surgery (SMPS)
• New indications and applications for SMPS
• Advances in material science of SMPS
• Novel technical nuances of SMPS
• Avoidance of adverse effects of SMPS
• Development of technology of SMPS